New Mexico has officially dropped Columbus Day, instead naming the holiday Indigenous Peoples Day to honor the countrys Native population.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed legislation Tuesday to remove Columbus Day from the list of official state holidays and replace it with the new holiday after the state Senate passed the bill last month. The day falls on the second Monday in October and will continue to be a legal public holiday, just without honoring Christopher Columbus.

This new holiday will mark a celebration of New Mexicos 23 sovereign indigenous nations and the essential place of honor native citizens hold in the fabric of our great state, the governor said in a statement, according to CNN . Enacting Indigenous Peoples Day sends an important message of reconciliation and will serve as a reminder of our states proud native history.

According to last years U.S. census estimates , about 10.9% of New Mexicos population is indigenous (American Indian or Alaskan Native). President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation commended Lujan Grisham for signing the bill into law.

The federal government declared Columbus Day as a holiday without input from Native Americans and without knowing the true history of Native Americans. For many years, Indigenous people have protested Columbus Day because it celebrates colonialism, oppression and injustice inflicted on Indigenous peoples, Nez said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. Observing Indigenous Peoples Day allows citizens to recognize our rich heritage and represents a step toward healing and growth.

The new holiday is part of a growing movement to review how the United States celebrates Columbus role in the countrys Colonial history. The Italian explorer, who never actually set foot in what is now the U.S., has a problematic reputation for dehumanizing and enslaving indigenous people , and ushering in centuries of genocide. Advocates of the new holiday say the country should be celebrating the Native community instead of a colonizer.